Chapter Three
An hour later, Adam opened the main door to their suite just far enough for him to stick his head in to make sure Josie wasn't in the sitting room. She wasn't, so Adam darted inside and slid into his bedroom, just in case Josie emerged, and he laid the gift he'd just purchased for her on his bed. It was actually Josie's gift from Ben, who had slipped Adam the money for it before they left the Ponderosa, but Adam was glad he'd gotten to pick it up. Ben had ordered it a couple months ago, right after Adam had announced his plan to take Josie to Sacramento. Now Adam stood admiring the brand-new rifle Ben had chosen for Josie. It was a good choice, Adam thought, looking down at the gleaming black barrel and polished walnut stock, and he thought he might need to save up some money to get one for himself. It was a Henry Repeating Rifle – a .44-caliber breechloader that had been patented only three years earlier. Like the other Cartwrights, Josie rode with a single-shot Sharps in her saddle scabbard, but this rifle was a sixteen-shooter – seventeen, actually, if you had a round already loaded in the chamber. Adam didn't know anyone in Nevada who had one of the new repeating rifles, and he liked the idea of Josie having more shots than anyone she'd ever encounter. Not that she needed them, Adam thought, smiling to himself. Between the rifle and her Colt revolver, Josie would have twenty-three shots when she was fully loaded, which in Josie's case meant she could take down twenty-three assailants – more than that if Pip came into play. Adam nearly laughed aloud.
"Don't tangle with my sister," he chuckled. He picked up the rifle and tucked it out of sight in his wardrobe.
Adam read in the sitting room for an hour until he heard a light knock on the main door. He opened it and greeted the lady's maid he had asked the concierge to send up to help Josie get ready for their evening.
"My sister's still asleep," he told the young lady. "Let me wake her up." He stepped over to Josie's door and knocked. Receiving no reply, he cracked the door open. "Josie? Time to wake up, kid."
Josie's eyes fluttered open, and she almost sprang out of bed before she remembered she was wearing only her shift. She yanked the covers up to her chin.
"Where we goin?" she yawned as she rubbed her eyes with one hand.
"Dinner. Put your dressing gown on and come out to the sitting room for a minute." He closed the door to give her some privacy.
Josie raised an eyebrow but did as Adam requested. A minute later, she was stepping out into the sitting room.
"My sister, Dr. Josephine Cartwright," Adam said to the lady's maid. "Josie, this is… Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."
"That's all right, sir," the young lady said, blushing as she smiled at Adam. "It's Adele, sir."
"Josie, this is Adele," Adam said. "She's here to help you get ready."
Josie was flabbergasted. "I appreciate that, Adam, but I haven't got anything with me that's fancy enough to require help."
"Yes, you do." Adam grinned and darted into his bedroom. He returned with Josie's blue silk gown draped over his arm. Adele gasped at the sight of the beautiful gown, and Josie's jaw dropped in surprise.
"That's my dress!" she exclaimed. "You stole my dress!"
"You steal my books all the time," Adam replied. He gave her a peck on the cheek as he handed her the gown. "Hang on, I've got more for you." He returned to his bedroom and grabbed Ben's small trunk that held Josie's delicates, which Molly had wrapped discretely in newspaper, along with Josie's black silk dancing slippers. He carried this into Josie's bedroom and set it on the bed. "Molly packed this for you," he explained. "Have fun, ladies! We'll leave for the restaurant in two hours." Giving Josie a wink, he returned to the sitting room, plopped down in an overstuffed armchair, and returned to his reading.
Still stunned, Josie followed Adele into her bedroom. Two hours later, she emerged, clad in her sapphire silk gown, which was a bit looser in some places than she remembered. She hadn't realized until then how much she had leaned out during her time on the Ponderosa. Her arms, once soft and round were now hard and muscular, her biceps standing out in little lumps above her elbows. Adele had put her hair up in a woven chignon with a tendril of hair left loose to curl on each side of her face. Now dressed in his best suit, which he had sent ahead of them with Josie's gown, Adam leapt to his feet and crossed the room to Josie.
"You look beautiful," he said, kissing her cheek. He thanked Adele and slipped some money into her hand.
"Thank you," Josie replied. "Are you ever going to tell me where we're going?"
"A place called Annabelle's. Finest restaurant in Sacramento – in most of California for that matter. Excellent food and excellent dancing, too."
Josie's face lit up, though her hand flew to her back collarbone, and she frowned. "I wish I could have gotten my locket fixed. I really should have a necklace."
Adam grinned. "I can help you there." He turned and took a long, slim box off the coffee table. He handed it to Josie. "Happy birthday, Little Sister."
Josie eyed him as she accepted the box and pulled open the lid. She gasped when she saw the diamond necklace inside. She lifted it in one trembling hand and examined the diamond-encrusted daisies that linked together to form the chain. "Adam, oh my goodness," she said, her voice thick. "You shouldn't, I mean, I can't believe that you-" She broke off as she could no longer force words around the lump in her throat. She threw her arms around Adam in a tight hug. "Thank you," she sniffled.
Adam took a step back and kissed her forehead. "You're welcome. I spotted it when Hoss and I were shopping for Patience's engagement ring, and I couldn't bear the thought of it being around the neck of anyone but you. Let's see how it looks." He took the necklace from Josie's hand and clasped it behind her neck. Josie stepped over to the mirror next to the door and admired the beautiful jewels now sparkling on her clavicle.
"Thank you," she whispered again.
"Anything for my little sister. Would you like your gift from Pa, too, before we go?"
Josie turned and stared at Adam. "Don't tell me you shipped Uncle Ben ahead in a trunk, too!"
Adam laughed. "No, but he ordered your gift in advance. I picked it up this afternoon while you were napping."
"All right, then."
Adam zipped into his bedroom and returned with the rifle. Josie's eyes lit up when she saw the weapon.
"Wow!" she exclaimed. "That's what I call a beautiful firearm!" She snatched it from Adam's hands, checked that it was unloaded, and examined it with an expert eye. "Oh, holy smokes! This is a repeater!"
"Yep!" Adam confirmed. "One of the new Henry repeating rifles. You'll have the first one in Nevada, I expect. There aren't even very many soldiers in the war with these."
Josie ran a hand down the gleaming barrel and stock and then broke it open to check out the chamber. She let out a low whistle. "Now I can't wait to get back into the mountains to do some hunting!"
Adam chuckled. "All in good time, Little Sister, all in good time. Right now, we've got dinner reservations." He took the rifle back from Josie and laid it on the settee. Then, offering her his arm, he escorted her out the door and down to the street toward Annabelle's.
Josie fought happy tears all evening as she and Adam dined and danced in high style. Despite its location in the center of what was, essentially, still a frontier town, Annabelle's rivaled the finest establishments in Boston, and for a few hours, Josie felt like a little girl again, sweeping around on the arm of her college-age cousin. The musicians favored waltzes that night, and Adam and Josie danced so long they grew hungry again, so they returned to their table for thick slices of white cake. When the evening finally wound down and the musicians had played their final number, Adam and Josie swept out of the restaurant, still laughing and breathless from all their dancing.
Adam strolled slowly down the street back toward the Ebner to give Josie's aching feet a little break – it had been more than two years since she'd spent this much time in her dancing slippers, and she knew she had blisters on her toes. But she didn't care. All that mattered was that she was with Adam on a fine, cool evening in Sacramento. Tonight they were celebrating her birthday, and tomorrow, they would search for an engagement ring for Molly. Josie couldn't have been happier.
As they walked, they kept each other in stitches with old jokes and stories. Adam especially enjoyed Josie's recounting of how hard Chief Winnemucca had laughed when Josie had admitted to him that she'd left Pip with Fionn when she and Joe tried to cross Lake Tahoe because they'd been afraid the large dog would tip the canoe.
"Aw, poor Pip!" Adam said, wiping tears from his eyes. "We'll have to bring him along tomorrow. He's probably pining away for you in that livery stable."
Josie frowned. "Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Maybe we should go check on him."
Adam glanced down at his suit and Josie's silk gown and thought back to Pip's reaction when they'd picked him up the previous morning. "I'm sure he's all right, Josie. I wouldn't want to disturb the stable boy this late anyway."
As they continued down the street, shouting and boisterous laughter emanated from a saloon a few yards ahead. Adam wanted to cross the street to keep Josie away from the obviously drunken men, but there was no sidewalk on the other side; he and Josie would have to walk through the mud. Sighing, he quickened his pace, hoping they could zip by quickly enough that Josie wouldn't have to endure any catcalls. Josie cast the saloon a sidelong glance as they passed, and both cousins sighed in relief when they got past without incident.
They were several feet beyond the saloon when two men burst out and staggered down the sidewalk toward them. Adam didn't have time to pull Josie aside before the shorter of the two men smacked into her from behind, nearly knocking her to the ground. Adam caught her around the waist and made sure she was all right before turning to the two men, who were continuing down the sidewalk as if nothing had happened. Enraged, Adam caught up to them in three long strides, grabbed the short man's arm, and spun him around.
"Hey, mister, you need to watch where you're going!" he snarled. "You nearly knocked my sister over, and you owe her an apology."
The man's companion – a skinny fellow with flaming red hair – quailed a bit at Adam's anger, but the shorter man just eyed him with a cool contempt. "Easy there, hothead," he slurred in a deep voice, blasting Adam with hot breath that reeked of cheap whiskey. "That kinda temper's gonna get you in trouble."
"Not as much trouble as it's gonna get you," Adam replied, his right hand resting on his gun. The red-haired man's hand drifted toward his own weapon, and Josie dashed wide-eyed over to her cousin. She laid her hand on Adam's arm that still clutched the short man's shirt.
"Adam, come on, they're not worth it. Let's just go."
The short man leered, revealing a set of broken and rotten teeth. "Listen to your little sister," he sneered. "We outgun you."
Adam saw Josie reach for her right ankle, and he let the short man go. He knew Josie was going for her Derringer to prove the man wrong, but his pride wasn't worth drawing her into a gunfight. "You're right, Josie. Let's go." He gave the man a little shove to clear the sidewalk, and then he took Josie's arm and guided her past the red-haired man and down the street.
"Wise choice, Hothead!" the short man hooted after him.
"Yeah, you better watch yourself!" the red-haired man added.
Adam's shoulders stiffened, but his bit his lip and did not reply. He was still steaming when they returned to their suite. Josie studied his face in the lamplight of their sitting room. She almost giggled at how much he looked like Little Joe when he was angry – something about the set of the jaw and the flash in the eyes. She laid a hand on his cheek. "Adam, they were just a couple of drunks. Don't let them ruin what's left of the evening, ok?"
Adam's eyes softened as he gazed down at Josie. "Ok," he said, drawing a deep breath to try to slow the adrenaline still coursing through his veins.
Josie smiled. "Thank you. Go change out of your suit. I'll order up some warm milk."
Adam did as he was told, and only minutes after he returned to the sitting room in his nightshirt, dressing gown, and slippers, a butler arrived at their door with two mugs of steaming milk, sprinkled with cinnamon. Josie appeared moments later, also clad in pajamas and a dressing gown, and after moving Josie's new rifle to an armchair, the cousins sat together on the settee and sipped their drinks.
"So," Josie began, tucking her bare feet up under the skirt of her nightgown. "Where do you want to start shopping tomorrow?
Adam grinned, all traces of his anger gone, and he and Josie spent the next thirty minutes planning out a route that would take them past a bookstore, an apothecary, and two jewelers. When the grandfather clock struck one a.m., Josie stretched and wished Adam a good night.
"Thank you so much for today," she whispered as she hugged him tightly. "This was the best birthday I've ever had. I'll remember this for the rest of my life."
Adam smiled and kissed the crown of her head. "Me, too. Now off to bed with you! Your father would have my hide if he knew I was keeping you up so late."
Josie pulled back and gave him a cheeky grin. "Wasn't the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last," she quipped. She stretched up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Good night, Older Brother. I love you."
"I love you, too, Josie."
Adam laughed as Josie grabbed her rifle off the armchair and took it with her into her bedroom. Shaking his head, he blew out the lamps and retired to his own room.
Despite their late night, Josie and Adam were both up before 8 o'clock the next morning. Josie chose a comfortable skirt and shirtwaist for the day, and at the last minute tossed her shoes aside and pulled on her boots instead. They were more comfortable than any of her other footwear, and after last night's dancing, she couldn't stand the thought of squeezing her blistered toes into her dainty shoes. After a quick breakfast in the hotel's restaurant, the pair set off to the livery stable to collect Pip before they started their shopping.
Pip was even more excited to see Adam and Josie than he had been two mornings ago, but Josie was ready for him this time and braced herself against Adam so she wouldn't tumble to the ground. Reunited, the trio set off down the street toward the first jewelry shop.
As soon as Adam began perusing the selection, he understood why Hoss had had such a difficult time finding a ring for Patience. The rings on display were pretty, but none of them was quite right. He wanted to get her something fancier than a plain gold band, but it needed to be practical as well – he didn't want Molly to leave her ring at home for fear the gemstone would snag on the fabric as she sewed. For the most part, Josie left him be while he scrutinized the displays, only occasionally drawing his attention to something that caught her eye. She spent most of their time in the jeweler's trying to contain a fit of giggles over her cousin's mounting despair – even by Adam's standards he was being picky. When she saw a vein begin to throb in his temple, she grabbed his arm and suggested they take a break and look at the bookshop. The books did little to lift Adam's mood, and he began to worry that, like Hoss before him, he would have to search every jewelry shop in town to find the right ring.
As Adam and Josie stepped into the second jeweler's just before lunch, Adam took a deep breath and steeled himself for another round of disappointment. The jeweler rushed to greet them, and as Adam tried to describe what he was looking for – a difficult task considering he wasn't entirely sure what that was – Josie ambled over to the display case and peeked in.
"Adam!" she shrieked. She dashed back to Adam, grabbed his arm, and dragged him over to the case. She jabbed a finger at the glass so hard Adam thought it a miracle the surface didn't shatter. "Look!"
Adam nudged Josie's finger out of the way, and his jaw dropped. Sitting in the case was a delicate gold Claddagh ring. A tiny pair of golden hands clasped a heart, atop which perched a crown in the traditional Irish symbol of friendship, love, and loyalty. Rather than being plain gold, the heart was filled with a gleaming emerald. Adam whirled around to face Josie, took her face in his hands, and planted a big kiss on her forehead.
"You are a goddess, and I adore everything about you," he said.
"Wow! Ok!" Josie giggled.
Adam turned back to the display case. "It even matches her necklace," he breathed, still awed.
"Maybe you'll get another big thank-you," Josie quipped and pitched into a fit of laughter.
Adam ignored her smart comment and glanced up at the jeweler, who was already taking the Claddagh out of the case. He handed it to Adam, who held it up to the light. Josie pawed at his arm, trying to get him to lower his hand so she could see the ring better, too. When Adam didn't budge, Josie stood on tiptoe and craned her neck upwards.
"It's perfect," Adam said. "How much?"
"One hundred dollars," the jeweler replied.
Still staring at the ring, Adam groped for his billfold with his free hand. He pulled it from his back pocket and handed it to Josie without looking at her. "Pay him, would you, please?"
Now Josie was stunned. Adam hadn't even tried to negotiate! "Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yup."
Josie shrugged, pulled five twenty-dollar bills from Adam's wallet, and handed them to the jeweler. "Where did you even get a Claddagh?" she asked. "I've never seen one in a shop outside of Boston."
"Bought it from a fellow jeweler in San Francisco a couple months back," the man replied. "He wasn't having any luck selling it, but I liked its uniqueness."
"Wonder where he got it," Josie mused.
"Oh, you know all those immigrants that go through San Francisco," the jeweler said. "Probably bought it off a family down on their luck." He plucked the ring from Adam's fingers and tucked it into a box for him. "Will there be anything else, sir?"
"No, thank you." Adam clutched the ring box so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Adam, would you like me to put that in my handbag?" Josie asked. They still had plans to go out to lunch and then do a little more shopping, and Josie was worried Adam would lose all circulation to his fingers if he kept clenching the box like that.
"No, I've got it."
"Adam."
Adam sighed and placed the box in Josie's outstretched hand. She put it in her bag, and the two of them headed for a café for lunch. After their meal, they spent the rest of the day wandering in and out of various shops, not looking for anything in particular, but enjoying their perusal of a bright array of items they typically didn't see in Virginia City. At the confectioner, Josie purchased a small box of chocolate Belgian truffles. Adam smiled; Josie had always had an insatiable sweet tooth.
"You better eat those before we get home," he said. "If Hoss sees them, you're in trouble."
Josie blushed. "Oh, well, uh, these are for a, um, a friend."
Adam pursed his lips, trying not to smile. "And would this friend happen to have brown eyes and an Irish accent?"
Josie stuck her tongue out at him. "None of your business."
Adam chuckled and led her back to the street. With Pip trotting behind them, the cousins headed back to their hotel.
After dinner that evening, Adam took Josie to the theater, where they laughed their way through a delightful performance of "The Taming of the Shrew." Afterward, as they made their way back to their hotel, Adam asked Josie what she'd like to do the following day.
"We could do more shopping, or go sight-seeing," he suggested.
Josie thought for a moment, and her mind drifted to the shiny new rifle in her bedroom at the Ebner. "Actually, Adam, please don't think I haven't had a wonderful time here in Sacramento, because I have!"
"But…" Adam prompted.
"But do you think we could go after that mountain lion whose tracks we saw on the way here? I'm just dying to try out that new gun!"
Adam threw back his head and laughed. "Absolutely! Extra day of hunting is never a bad idea."
They packed up their things that night, returning Josie's silk gown and Adam's suit to the small trunk and everything else to their carpetbags. Josie was glad she had left a bit of space in hers; she had plenty of room for Fionn's chocolates and her new necklace. Into her medical bag went the bottles of onion syrup, paregoric, and camphor that she had purchased at the apothecary. She went to sleep that night and dreamt of mountain lions.
The cousins woke early the next morning and went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. They were surprised to see the restaurant abuzz at such an early hour, and Adam asked their waiter what all the excitement was about.
"Some men robbed the First Bank of Sacramento last night!" the young man told them. "Made away with ten thousand dollars!"
Adam shook his head and let out a low whistle while Josie shuddered. "That isn't near here, is it?" she asked.
"No, miss, it's on the other side of town. Sheriff put out posters already of the men who did it. We've got one outside."
After a quick breakfast, Josie and Adam left the hotel to collect the horses and Pip, and they paused outside to look at the wanted poster. They both gasped when they saw the sketches of the robbers.
"Adam!" Josie exclaimed. "Adam, those are the men who bumped into us the other night!"
Adam nodded, his eyes still fixed on the sketches of the tall, red-haired man and the short one with the squashed-looking face. "They really were no good, weren't they?" he muttered.
"Look at this, Adam!" Josie pointed to the final line underneath the men's descriptions. "'Believed to be heading east over the mountains.' Guess we'll have to keep a lookout for them."
"I doubt it," Adam replied. "It's a pretty big mountain range, and they won't want to do anything to draw attention to themselves."
Josie nodded and followed Adam to the livery stable, her grip on her new rifle just a little bit tighter than it had been.